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The Good and Bad Science of Autism, a pioneering book about autism research and released today, World Autism Awareness Day, is an easy-to-use book designed to introduce the reader to autism research.
Written by geneticist Neil Walsh and neuroscientist Elisabeth Hurley, the book, being released by Autism West Midlands, the leading charity in the West Midlands, brings together scientific research from multiple disciplines including neuroscience, genetics and psychology. It examines the validity of different areas of autism research and helps the reader to draw conclusions about the current scientific knowledge of autism.
The book begins by providing a basic introduction to scientific method: how scientific studies should be undertaken and published. It then goes on to cover good autism science research before exploring how bad science has affected autism research and how the age of the internet has affected the public understanding of autism.
This book discusses topics such as autism and the MMR vaccine, the search for tests to diagnose autism and some of the interventions available for people with autism. The book gives readers guidance on how to differentiate between good and bad science and how to interpret recent autism research findings.
This book is designed to be easily accessible. Thanks to its colour-coded pages, readers can choose to read either a summary of the chapter or the full text. There are also pages focusing on particular aspects of autism research.
Finally, the book provides a list of useful resources that readers can access to find out more about autism science research.
The book is available to download free of charge from the Autism West Midlands website. Hard copies of the book are available for a small charge from the website’sonline shop
www.autismwestmidlands.org.uk
About Autism
Autism is a life-long condition. It affects all races, classes and intellectual abilities. It is a spectrum condition meaning that it affects people differently and to varying degrees.
Everyone with autism is different. While some people with autism lead independent lives, some need lifelong care. Others will need some degree of support, which will change over the course of their lifetime.
Autism is not a learning disability about half of all people with autism have average or above-average intelligence or a mental illness. However, one in three people with autism develop mental health difficulties due to the challenge of adapting to society with inadequate support.
People with autism often also have issues with sensory processing. They can either be over- or under-sensitive to any of their senses (sight, smell, touch, hearing, taste, balance and awareness of self in space).
There is no cure for autism but early diagnosis and specialist support can greatly improve the quality of life of people with autism.
Autism is a hidden condition, meaning that it is often difficult to tell that someone has autism. Lack of autism awareness can lead to misunderstandings about the reasons that a person with autism may behave in a certain way. This can sometimes increase anxiety and depression in people with autism. Increasing autism awareness is key to ensuring that people with autism receive the right support and understanding throughout life.